After setting our hearts on a Baltic cruise this summer but not finding any really good value deals, we were finally tempted by a 12 day Mediterranean and Holylands cruise on the new Celebrity Silhouette, which was being promoted in a special 3 day sale in May. Even though we had visited 75% of the ports on previous cruises, we decided it would be nice to re-visit them and see Israel as well. Normally we would reserve an inside cabin as we don't see the point of paying a premium for an outside cabin that we would normally not spend any time in. During the 3 day sale however, an outside balcony cabin was being offered with a price difference of only £100.00 per person so we decided that the small difference could be justified in this case. After booking, we joined the CC Rollcall and started to get to know some of our future cruise companions. We signed up for the Celebrity Connections party and started looking forward to our cruise. Using the Rollcall, we managed to arrange a shared minibus transfer from Rome airport to the port and got valuable tips for booking excursions in Israel. We also picked up many tips, for example stopping at a supermarket on the way to the ship to buy bottled water and on our journey to the port, our driver didn't mind pulling over so that we could all jump out to buy a six pack and a bottle of wine to have on our balcony at sailaway.
On the departure day, we arrived at the port around midday and went immediately to the check-in area where we were allowed to board. The check-in process only took a few minutes and we were on the ship in no time. I did hear complaints of extensive queues and boarding times in excess of 1 hour later in the day though. At the entrance to the ship we were greeted with waiters offering wine or juice and then shown to the lifts. We were told that the cabin was ready but when we got there it was still being prepared. Our cabin attendant did however let us leave the water and our hand luggage in the cabin so that we could go and have lunch and take a look around the ship. The Oceanview Cafe was quite chaotic as it seemed that everyone had headed straight there, but we found seats on the outside rear deck and enjoyed a lovely varied lunch. The Oceanview Cafe is made up of many different stations to avoid queues and in general it was very well organized. The different stations included pasta and pizza, salads, bakery, Carvery, Mexican food, Indian curries, hot station, desserts, Ice Creams and beverages. Around 1.30 it was announced that the staterooms were ready so we went to investigate. We had been allocated cabin 6305 on a guarantee basis and this was the very last cabin at the end of the corridor. The walk did become a bit tedious after a while but the extra exercise helped to walk off a few pounds over the duration of the cruise! The cabin was very light and spacious and the dEcor was cool and classy. As we unpacked we found plenty of storage space including a double wardrobe with plenty of hangers, three large deep drawers and a long shelf unit above the bed. It was also no problem to stow the empty cases under the bed which I have not usually been able to do. The bathroom was the biggest surprise as this was more spacious than on other ships and included a large walk in shower with double sliding doors, washbasin, toilet and a large wall unit with lots of storage as well as two small drawers. The shower was a fixed head with different settings and the water pressure and temperature were perfect. The only complaints would be the lack of shower gel (only blocks of soap were provided) and the bathroom sink tap was silly in my opinion as it was not close enough to the basin and spilt water everywhere. The in-cabin t.v (32" lcd) had many channels including BBC World and Sky News as well as various movie and entertainment channels. There was also a music section with all kinds of music choices as well as the usual channel showing re-runs of recent shows and activities on the ship. One thing to note is that there was only one European and one US power point so it may be an idea to take along a double adapter for charging appliances etc. The mini bar was initially locked but could be opened by the stateroom attendant if required. The safe was of adequate size to fit in our notebook computer and other valuables. The balcony of the cabin was accessed by a sliding patio door and was larger than expected. There were two adjustable chairs/loungers and a small round table. There was total privacy and lots of peace and quiet. We never encountered anyone smoking on their balcony (and in general the smoking policy on the ship seemed fair to us as non-smokers).
The afternoon was spent familiarizing ourselves with this huge ship. Starting on deck 3 at guest services we worked our way upwards exploring all of the bars, lounges, and shopping arrears. The Hideaway seemed to be one of the more popular areas on the ship during the voyage and seemed to be well-liked. There were an assortment of unusual chairs and seating areas and coffee and tea dispensers were available. Above the Hideaway was the well-stocked library and again this seemed to be well used by people reading and using their laptop computers. The ilounge on deck 6 did have many Apple computers available to use for those who did not bring their own, although the internet rates did seem a bit on the steep side with the ship advertising clearly that connections speeds were not comparable to those on land. iPads were also available for hire by the day or for the entire cruise and judging by the number of people carrying them around, this service seemed to be popular. Once up on deck 12 we came across the large stylish pool area with one adult and one children's pool as well as four Jacuzzis. Initially we appeared that there would be plenty of space and sunbeds once we got underway (that later proved to be an inaccurate judgment!). The sunbeds had comfortable cushions on them and the towels were self-service without having to check them in and out with your seapass (as with RCI). Double beds and other relaxing chairs and loungers were available in a variety of styles which was a nice touch. We noticed that there were clear signs up next to the adult pool and two adjoining Jacuzzis advising that they were for the use of guests over 16 only and that there was to be no jumping, diving or horseplay and that infants and persons in diapers were not to use them under any circumstances. These signs proved to be useless as they were blatantly ignored throughout the cruise and these rules were never enforced by the poolside staff. This became very annoying throughout the cruise as it was impossible to swim in the pool without being hit by a ball or jumped on by children being oblivious to others around them and when complaining to guest services we were told that there was nothing they could do if people chose to ignore the signs. It is worth noting that this particular cruise was made up of 80% non-English speaking clients (French/Spanish/Italian/German) and that the signs were only printed in English! Moving further through deck 12 we came to the indoor solarium which was also reserved as an adult-only space. This was very elegant with lovely comfortable sunbeds, squishy mattresses and luxurious towels. The only problem was that it was always cold (because of the air con..) and the water in the pool too was cool to say the least. The dancing water feature was a lovely touch and there were another two hot-tubs for adult use. A couple of times we did see kids trying to swim in the indoor pool and they were asked to leave by the pool attendants. I'm therefore not sure why the same could not be done in the outdoor adults pool?? Through the solarium we came to the Aqua Spa with all kinds of different treatments being advertised and there was a free prize draw being advertised. Next were the changing rooms and men's and women's saunas and lastly the fully equipped fitness centre which was open from 6am to 11pm. The equipment was very hi-tech and on the first morning it took around 10 minutes on the elliptical trainer before I was up and running.
Although this was in the partially obstructed view category, there was no obstruction and balcony was fine. Nothing at all to complain about - no noise/odours or disadvantages